Caroline Starr Rosehttps://carolinestarrrose.com
award-winning picture book and middle-grade authorWed, 16 Aug 2017 18:19:01 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.169775091On Writinghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CarolineByLine/~3/2ZSQxr5UEeA/
https://carolinestarrrose.com/on-writing-59/#respondTue, 15 Aug 2017 12:06:03 +0000http://carolinestarrrose.com/?p=6839A work of fiction can be understood as a three-beat movement: a juggler gathers bowling pins; throws them in the air; catches them…The writer, having tossed up some suitably interesting pins, knows they have to come down, and, in my experience, the greatest pleasure in writing fiction is when they come down in a surprising […]

A work of fiction can be understood as a three-beat movement: a juggler gathers bowling pins; throws them in the air; catches them…The writer, having tossed up some suitably interesting pins, knows they have to come down, and, in my experience, the greatest pleasure in writing fiction is when they come down in a surprising way that conveys more and better meaning than you’d had any idea was possible.
— George Saunders

]]>https://carolinestarrrose.com/on-writing-59/feed/06839https://carolinestarrrose.com/on-writing-59/A Word on Receiving a Critiquehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CarolineByLine/~3/kwu-tDCicHQ/
https://carolinestarrrose.com/word-receiving-critique/#commentsFri, 11 Aug 2017 12:05:25 +0000https://carolinestarrrose.com/?p=7291Reading through a critique can be hard. I know. It’s hard for me, too! You’ve worked months, maybe years, on a piece of writing you love, and hearing it needs improvement might be painful. I’m excited every time my editor sends along a critique letter, but I’m also nervous. She points out parts of the […]

Reading through a critique can be hard. I know. It’s hard for me, too!

You’ve worked months, maybe years, on a piece of writing you love, and hearing it needs improvement might be painful. I’m excited every time my editor sends along a critique letter, but I’m also nervous. She points out parts of the story I’ve already sensed might need to be changed and things I had no idea weren’t working. Sometimes I laugh out loud, realizing what she’s taken from my writing doesn’t match up at all with what I thought I’d communicated. By the time I’m two-thirds through the letter, my mind has shut down. It’s just too much information to take in all at once.

There are familiar feelings I go through, too. Embarrassment is a typical one. I sometimes feel like all my weaknesses have been exposed — weaknesses I knew I had and some I had no idea about! Overwhelm is another. Now that I see just how much work the story needs, how in the world am I to do it? Why doesn’t the letter also come with a magic wand?

After my first read through, I set the letter aside. I usually take the dog for a walk and let my thoughts both wander and rest. As I go throughout the day, I don’t actively work on the suggestions I’ve read, but I’m processing them just the same. By the time I come back to the letter the next day, I realize I’ve internalized some of the recommendations. They no longer feel new and surprising. Even if I don’t know how to fix things yet, my editor’s advice is starting to make sense.

Entrusting your work to someone else is both risky and brave. I hope you’ll be able to see a critique in the light it was written — not as a malicious attempt to make you look bad, but as an effort to help you improve your work. And remember: what you’re reading is one person’s opinion. As the writer, you always get the final say.

]]>https://carolinestarrrose.com/word-receiving-critique/feed/67291https://carolinestarrrose.com/word-receiving-critique/Looking for a Manuscript Critique?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CarolineByLine/~3/wFo8xXxOPHU/
https://carolinestarrrose.com/looking-manuscript-critique/#commentsTue, 08 Aug 2017 12:04:25 +0000https://carolinestarrrose.com/?p=7262For a number of years I’ve offered manuscript critiques, usually by word of mouth. I’ve decided to make things a little more accessible to others who might be interested and have added information on my website. Look up there in the right-hand corner for the Writing One to One tab. (If you’re reading on email, […]

For a number of years I’ve offered manuscript critiques, usually by word of mouth. I’ve decided to make things a little more accessible to others who might be interested and have added information on my website. Look up there in the right-hand corner for the Writing One to One tab. (If you’re reading on email, you’ll have visit my website).

Today you don’t even have to click on the tab. Everything you’d read there is right here!

Writing One to One

When I sell a manuscript to a publishing house, my work has just begun. In the months and years after a story is acquired, I receive in-depth, made-for-me direction on how to better my writing. This extensive revision process brings out my best work — far beyond anything I could create alone.

Writing One on One is my attempt to offer a similar critique experience to writers who are working toward publication. The process begins with a questionnaire that focuses on your writing background, goals and dreams, and specifics on your manuscript(s). This allows us both to see if we might work well together.

Work for Consideration

As a children’s author, I only read picture book and middle grade manuscripts. If you are looking for someone to critique your young adult manuscript, I would be happy to recommend several authors who take on editing work.

All critiques include line edits (comments within the manuscript itself) and an editorial letter (a detailed response to your manuscript). I do not copy edit (check for spelling, grammar, or punctuation).

Pricing

One picture book (up to 1,000 words) – $75

Three picture books (up to 1,000 words each) – $200

The first three chapters of a completed middle-grade novel (up to 10,000 words) + one page synopsis – $150

One middle-grade novel (up to 65,000 words) – $500

One middle-grade novel (up to 65,000 words) first critiqued as three chapters and a synopsis – $300

** Writers interested in submitting the same manuscript(s) for a second critique can do so at half the original price.**

Want to learn more about Writing One on One? Simply email me. I’ll answer your questions, and if you’re interested, send along the questionnaire.